Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound? Well, thanks to The Development Tracker (TDT), we’re all able to know exactly what that building is going to be.
But who, or what, exactly is TDT? Well, they’re this special channel of information that focuses on one main objective — tracking development. Imagine that. Based in Minnesota, TDT currently fixates on some of the larger cities in the state. Specifically Minneapolis, Duluth and Saint Paul.
I recently sat down with the founder of TDT to learn more about this specialized media outlet. In an effort to remain anonymous, those behind TDT have requested to remain unnamed. Their main objective is to remain behind the scenes so that readers can focus on the content, not the people behind it.
I spoke with the founder of TDT who shared why the tracker does what it does.
“[The Development Tracker] was founded over 10 years ago in 2012 and, prior to that, we were actually known under a different alias called CDINDULUTH,” the founding CEO told me. “This name technically stood for ‘Commercial Development IN Duluth,’ however, the community interpreted the acronym as meaning ‘Current Development IN Duluth.’
When developing the early ideas on how to expand the concept of CDINDULUTH, TDT found it prudent to create a more understandable name that got straight to the point.
The founding CEO said that they have been surrounded by architecture and the development world since they were a kid, so it’s only natural that he’d be fascinated by the world TDT reports on. There are three people currently on the team at TDT, all of whom work diligently on the information they provide. They all also have other full-time jobs.
“[TDT] is not my full time gig,” said the CEO. “But it also is my full time gig. We don’t really like to reveal our personas at all, so I won’t go into detail, but essentially I have two full-time jobs.”
The CEO was referring to his professional career and TDT, which started as a side project and has since grown into a niche channel of journalism. He also indicated that everyone on the team essentially juggles two full-time jobs.
“It’s a village that makes TDT successful,” they told me. “We give credit back to the community. Individuals that are average citizens or those that live and work in the areas that we report on. We credit them and also the real estate industry itself, because that’s ultimately what really brings TDT to life. Whether it’s the information that we have that we can share or the conversation that we can facilitate or just simply the support that we have, which we’re incredibly thankful for.”
TDT also stated that they love to provide insight to the communities in which development will have a lasting impact. They provide insight on the term “development” itself, which can often bear a loaded meaning to neighborhood residents.
“With TDT, the community gets to see what’s happening,” TDT told me. “A lot of people think, when they hear development or real estate development, that it’s like tearing it down, building something big. There is a lot of that, true. But when people are equipped with all the information, like if it’s tear down or adaptive reuse, they know what needs to be done to protect history.”
Then TDT asked me if I was aware of the sad history of urban redevelopment in Downtown Minneapolis in the mid twentieth century. I definitely was.
Segregation by Design reports that Minneapolis experienced a significant “urban renewal” scheme that saw the demolition of over 7,000 homes, displacing roughly 23,000 people. In the end it had razed roughly 40% of its historical downtown structures, including the entire Gateway District, where 25 blocks were demolished along with over 200 historical buildings.
According to Segregation by Design, 35% of those displaced in Minneapolis due to this project and the addition of interstates were people of color. Many of the lots raised stood as parking lots for decades after the project, only seeing development in recent years.
“Minneapolis has a very sad story when it comes to our historical buildings and what’s here and, you know, many individuals don’t understand what the past was like,” TDT told me. “I mean, the city was absolutely incredible and filled with just unbelievable buildings and people, especially in the downtown area.”
Some buildings TDT is referring to are monuments like the Metropolitan Building (pictured above) and the Industrial Exposition Building. Both were marvels of their time and held beauty unparalleled by many Minneapolitan buildings today.
“Constantly being aware of the wrong that we’ve done in the past can help us determine how we can do it right in the future,” TDT told me. “We may not have as many historical buildings anymore, but there’s still many that exist that deserve love and care, and many that can actually come back better and stronger than any new construction project ever could.”
TDT has come a long way since its creation in Duluth. Currently, TDT is revamping their mission statement to align with their “Future Forward” strategy which, according to them, is a key part of their expansion.
“It’s taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get to this point and, you know, that’s just sort of growing organically,” TDT told me. “We really, really fought as a resource to make sure that we stay true to our original audience — the community itself.”
According to TDT, the only reason it’s grown as much as it has so far is because of the community it’s in. People care, so TDT puts care into what they report.
“It’s the average citizens that live, work, play, visit, vacation, all of the above within a community who are asking themselves, what are they building there?” said TDT. “And that’s translated into our social media and into our group’s bigger following where we’ve built this incredibly beautiful organic relationship with the community. Where people feel like they can talk to us differently about development and talk to us differently about just the world of real estate, or even ask their questions in a different way.”
Community is TDT’s main focus as they embark on what they’re calling “chapter two” for their growth while advocating for local projects like “Open Doors Minneapolis,” which partners with area landmarks and opens them up for free for the public to enjoy.
“We want to remain focused on serving our community first and foremost, but there’s also a really, really large sector of the real estate industry that’s now paying attention and utilizing our services,” said TDT. “By really fulfilling both of those audiences, we can serve communities even better and we can serve the real estate industry even better and almost be a nice little matchmaker for the two, or even a conduit of information for everyone to turn to.”
Over the years, TDT has been requested to expand further into other areas besides Saint Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth. The CEO behind the project assured me that these requests have not fallen on deaf ears. They just want to do it right.
“We are starting to receive requests to expand our services outside of Minnesota, which is incredible,” TDT said. “We’re looking to really engage the community in different ways. Whether that’s in person events or virtual events. Whether it’s a deeper and more engaging website or social media platform or, you know, all of the above.
TDT really wants to bring light to the world of development while also giving the community an opportunity to have a voice.
“We’re simply letting the community know of development occurring in their community while in return supporting things like small businesses and restaurants and sharing the news of their openings,” TDT continued. “Those that don’t have marketing budgets or advertising costs can’t put themselves out there right away due to them spending it on build outs or hiring, or just getting a startup. We can help incentivize and bring business to them, which is huge. We’re proud to do it and want to keep doing it as we go forward.”
TDT is hoping that you’ll soon start to see them tracking development in your corner of the world, allowing those communities affected to have more understanding of projects.
“At TDT, we love the work we are doing as we truly believe we are making a difference in the world of real estate development,” the group told me in a statement. “It is incredibly important to us to bridge the gap between community citizens and the real estate development world. Every day we accomplish that, and it is incredibly rewarding to see the understanding, education, and connection that TDT can provide to the community.”
TDT currently anticipates expanding to new markets within the Twin Cities and the State of Minnesota in 2024 and are currently working on expanding by connecting with neighborhood organizations, local governments, key real estate players and, of course, community citizens.
TDT was also excited to share that they’re in the middle of some incredibly exciting conversations and relationship building that will push TDT forward into their next chapter.
Visit their website and follow them on social media for more information on The Development Tracker and the communities they cover.
